Metals,

Nonmetals

and Metalloids
Where are Metals, Nonmetals, and
Metalloids (Semimetals) located on
the Periodic Table?
Notice the difference between the appearance of the
metal elements on the left and the nonmetal elements
on the right.

Click here for a better view of each of the elements.

What are the Properties of
Metals?
 What Are the Properties of Metals?
• Metals are SOLIDS.
(except for mercury, which is liquid at room
temperature)

• Metals are HARD.

(except for the group 1 Alkali Metals: Lithium,
Potassium, Sodium, Rubidium, and Cesium which
are as soft as modeling clay)
What Are the Properties of Metals?

• Metals have shiny luster. (or metallic

luster)

LUSTER – the way an object’s surface

reflects light
What Are the Properties of Metals?

• Metals are good conductors of heat.

A copper frying pan A steel spoon in a mug of hot water

For example, when a spoon touches a hot drink, the heat from the drink excites
the electrons in the metal, and the electrons transfer the energy from one
electron to another, carrying the heat all the way up the spoon quickly.
What Are the Properties of Metals?

• Metals are good conductors of electricity.

Copper, silver, and gold are good electrical
conductors. In a conductor, electric current
can flow freely. Since metals have free
electrons, they can carry a charge easily.
Spool of silver wire

Copper Wiring Gold plated HDMI cables

What Are the Properties of Metals?
• Metals are malleable.
Malleable or Malleability - the ability to be shaped
or formed by hammering or pressure; can be beaten
into thin sheets

Aluminum is malleable.
What Are the Properties of Metals?

• Metals are ductile.

Ductility or ductile – can be drawn into
a wire
Spools of wire
Speaker wires
Copper Wiring
 Where do we find Metals on Earth?
• Some metals like gold, silver, and platinum are
found as pure substances in the earth’s crust
because they are least reactive.
• Most metals are reactive and are found as
oxides (react with oxygen), carbonates (react
with carbon), or sulfides (react with sulfur).

Mineral: an element or compound which occurs

naturally inside the earth’s crust
Ore: a mineral from which metals can be extracted
profitably
Gold Mineral Iron Ore
Let’s Review the Properties of
Metals
• Metals are usually
– Solid
– Hard
– Shiny (luster)
– Malleable
– Ductile
– Good conductors of heat
– Good conductors of electricity
What are the Properties of
Nonmetals?
What Are the Properties of Nonmetals?

• Non metals may be solids, liquids or gases.

What Are the Properties of Nonmetals?
Solid Nonmetals Gaseous Nonmetals
Solids – Gases –
Carbon, Liquid Nonmetals Fluorine
Sulfur, Liquid –
Phosphorus Chlorine
Bromine Nitrogen
What Are the Properties of Nonmetals?

• Nonmetals have a dull luster.

They are not shiny!

Example: Phosphorus
What Are the Properties of Nonmetals?

• Nonmetals are insulators.

They do not conduct electricity or heat
well.

The atoms in nonmetals do not have

loose electrons. Therefore, when
electricity or something hot touches a
non-metal, the energy does not move
quickly through the material.
What Are the Properties of Nonmetals?

• Nonmetals are soft and brittle.

Except for the diamond form of Carbon, which is a very hard solid!

White
Sulfur
Phosphorus Iodine
Carbon
 An interesting element: Carbon
Have you ever broken the point
of your pencil? That’s because
it’s made of graphite, a
substance made up completely
of the brittle nonmetal Carbon.
Carbon
atoms in
Diamonds are the hardest graphite
material of all, and they are
made of the same element:
Carbon. Look at how the carbon
atoms are arranged in
diamonds. Why do you think
diamonds are harder than
graphite?
What are the Properties of
Metalloids?
 Which Elements are Metalloids?

• Boron, Silicon, Germanium, Arsenic, Antimony,

Tellurium, Polonium, and Astatine are commonly
classified as metalloids
What are the properties of Metalloids?
• Metalloids have physical properties of both
metals and non-metals.
– Some are shiny
– Some are dull,
– They are somewhat malleable and ductile,
– They and can conduct heat and electricity at a
lesser level than metals

SILICON ARSENIC
BORON
What are the properties of Metalloids?

• Some metalloids are useful semiconductors

– Semiconductors are used in computer chips and
other electronics
– Semiconductors conduct just the right amount of
electricity or heat